Does ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Have a Title?

With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story set to premiere tonight in Los Angeles, the hype for the next chapter of the Skywalker saga Star Wars: Episode VIII is going to start to heat up. The film written and directed by Rian Johnson has yet to receive an official title but a trademark filing picked up by AVS forum suggests the film could be titled Star Wars Episode VIII: Forces of Destiny.

The amount of good and services the title is being trademarked for definitely suggests this could be the film’s title but we’ll have to wait and see. There have been rumors of an Episode VIII trailer being attached to Rogue One but I think it’s highly unlikely. The marketing machine at Lucasfilm is a masterful one. There wasn’t a Rogue One trailer until a day after The Force Awakens was released on Blu-ray and chances are Lucasfilm will wait to do the same for Episode VIII. But it’s also possible Lucasfilm could stretch it for another week and wait until Star Wars Celebration in Orlando to give fans in attendance the first look at Episode VIII.

Star Wars: Episode VIII hits theaters December 15, 2017.

The film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran, and Andy Serkis. Written and directed by Rian Johnson.

(via CBM)

‘John Wick’ Co-Director May Direct ‘Deadpool 2’ (Updated)

With Tim Miller amicably exiting Deadpool 2, shifting his focus to Fox’s Influx, the studio is wasting no time finding a replacement to helm the sequel to this year’s smash hit Deadpool, the highest grossing Rated-R film of all time.

Mashable reports John Wick Co-director David Leich is the current frontrunner in talks to lead the merc with a mouth into his second outing. Leich already has a history with Fox and Wade Wilson as he was the action coordinator on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as well as the second unit director for The Wolverine. Along with his John Wick co-director Chad Stahelski, the two also directed the second unit for this year’s Captain America: Civil War which featured some of the film’s most breathtaking actions sequences.

With Ryan Reynolds being given more creative control for the sequel, and Leich in the directing chair, it seems like the two could be a perfect fit for what could be a more stylish and thrilling follow-up to the action-comedy, however. Take this all with a grain as no deal has actually been made with Leich and according to Mashable’s source, several other directors are still in the running.

UPDATE: Deadline reports two other directors who are also in talks to take over the directing responsibilities for Miller in Deadpool 2 which includes Drew Goddard and Magnus Martens.

Goddard, most-known for being hired to direct the Sinister Six spin-off of the now cancelled The Amazing Spider-Man franchise at Sony also penned the script for The Martian, directed The Cabin in The Woods, and executive produced both seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix.

Martens is a relative newcomer who’s directing credits include episodes of Marvel’s Agents of Shield as well as Luke Cage on Netflix.

At this point, no deal has been made, however. Fox will be looking to fill the role fast if they plan to keep the films production on schedule. Even with Goddard and Martens now reported to be in the running — according to Deadlines sources — Leitch is still at the top of the shortlist to helm the project.

Deadpool 2 is currently looking to start filming this spring, slated for release on January 12, 2018.

SOURCES: MASHABLE, DEADLINE

‘Rogue One’ Hits UK Early; Possible Runtime Revealed

Star Wars fans in the United States will want to go dark on the internet starting December 15^th to avoid spoilers as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to release in the UK a day ahead of its December 16^th debut in North America. I would recommend downloading the Chrome extension “Force Block” which will automatically block pages that could potentially contain spoilers if you are that concerned.

Stay on target! #RogueOne blasts into UK cinemas on December 15. All wings report in… pic.twitter.com/H0UYXRwNJ8

— Star Wars UK (@StarWarsUK) October 23, 2016

A possible runtime for the film has also made its way onto the page of an Australian film exhibitor called Event Cinemas. The film is rumored to clock in at 133 minutes (2 hours and 13 minutes) which is pretty average for a Star Wars film so there is a high probability this rumor is accurate. The longest Star Wars film to date is currently Attack of the Clones which sits at 142 minutes (2 hours and 22 minutes).

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.

SOURCE: MAKING STAR WARS